This invention relates to vehicle door latches and more particularly to a vehicle door latch striker and its method of manufacture.
Automobiles are typically equipped with a latch in the end of each the door that engages a striker that is secured to the confronting face of a vehicle body pillar at the edge of the door opening. The latch, particularly one for a swinging door, has a fishmouth slot that opens toward the vehicle interior and extends through a cutout in the face plate of the latch. This fishmouth slot guides a striker bolt or projection into the interior of the latch as the vehicle door is closed. As the striker projection travels into the fishmouth slot, it "strikes" or engages an internal, pivotally mounted fork bolt lever that is part of the latching mechanism that is inside the latch housing. The striker projection then rotates the fork bolt lever to a latched position where a portion of the fork bolt lever is behind the striker projection and closes off the fishmouth slot. The fork bolt lever is typically held in the latched position by a detent lever or pawl that is released by a door handle when the door is opened.
Modern door latch strikers now generally have a bolt or projection that is part of a bent rod that is attached to a base or bracket that secures the striker to the door pillar. See for instance U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,941,696 Yamada et al; 4,981,313 Makamura; 4,998,759 Peterson et al and 5,050,917 Hamada et al.